• Haute Cuisine has the first review up for Meguro Ramen, Edmonton’s newest ramen joint in Chinatown that opened on October 27, 2011.
• Liane mentioned that there’s a new “lifestyle” restaurant on the horizon in the High Street area called Cafe Tiramisu (10750 124 Street) that will offer healthy eats and a side of yoga.
• Liane also posted about Blue Kettle’s open house, to be held on November 26 in St. Albert.
• Ever want to be a restauranteur without the financial investment? Now, there’s a game for that: Duck Soup!
• Congratulations to Daniel Costa and Corso 32 for achieving not one, but two honours last week – Costa was named one of Avenue Edmonton’s “Top 40 under 40”, and Corso was included in EnRoute’s list of “Canada’s Best New Restaurants”.
• Great to see that Chef Blair Lebsack put on another fantastic farm to table dinner, this time at Riverbend Gardens. Thanks to Kevin for sharing, so people like me can live vicariously through the video!
• Ever wonder what chefs and critics in North America think of the Michelin guides? Eater reports on a few opinions here.
• Grub Street had a great series last week focusing on food television. Of note, how much TV appearances are really worth to restaurants, ten important food moments on television and why Chuck Hughes might be the next big celebrity chef.
• The Globe and Mail published a piece this weekend that tried (again) to beat the cupcake trend into submission. Even better, the response from Cupcake Takes the Cake.
• Walking down Whyte Ave, I noticed that Ousia (10846 82 Avenue) is now open. Lisa tells me that it is definitely worth checking out: “The food is amazing and the atmosphere is warm, elegant and inviting. It is truly one of its kind on Whyte Ave, and perhaps in all of Edmonton. Very unique, well thought out dishes and a wine/cocktail menu to match!”

Ousia

• I dragged Mack to Southgate for some window shopping, and thought the least I could do was reward him with some poutine! It was a good excuse to try New York Fries’ other “gourmet” poutine, featuring short ribs and a red wine reduction. The beef was actually not that bad, and the gravy-like sauce tasted not much different than a typical poutine sauce. The carrots should have been strained out though – it was a little odd to encounter anything remotely healthy in the poutine, heh.

Short rib poutine

• I think the number of poutine pictures I’ve shared is only perhaps rivalled by the number of pho pictures I’ve shared. So here’s another one – from lunch at Pho Tau Bay on Tuesday.

Pho with beef balls

• Attending a conference at the Radisson Hotel last week, I noticed they featured sparkling water in the meeting and banquet rooms. Not necessarily a selling feature, but a nice touch – I wonder if this will become more common in hotels (and restaurants)?

Sparkling water at the Radisson

• Did you know the Queen of Tarts offers challah bread (now on Fridays). We picked up a loaf for French toast. Delicious!

French toast

• I hope you had a good Halloween! Mack and I didn’t end up doing much, except carve a very rudimentary jack o’ lantern. What can we say – it’s our first!

Meet Jack (ignore the Christmas lights behind him)

I know I’ve been writing a lot about television lately, but it feels like the quality of shows right now is better than most seasons. I already mentioned my love-hate relationship with The Walking Dead (a show I enjoy, in spite of the fact that I usually run far, far away from the horror genre), but I’m also lately loving Revenge. Canadian(!) Emily VanCamp stars as the deliciously two-faced Amanda Clarke/Emily Thorne, hell-bent on seeking retribution for the wrongs done to her father. Sure, it can be overly soapy, but is such a guilty pleasure. On to this week’s food notes:

• Queen of Tarts is changing their name to “better reflect who they are now”. E-mail them with your suggestions – the winner wins a dinner for four (and the satisfaction of branding one of Edmonton’s best bakeries).
• New restaurant alert: Cibo Bistro, a new Italian eatery, is set to open on October 29, 2011 in Oliver Square (11244 104 Avenue).
• The second in the Journal’s coffee series appeared last week, highlighting Java Jive.
• I missed attending the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival this year, but was happy to live vicariously through Maki, Jaquie and Foodie Suz.
• Serious Eats had a breakdown of ten signs of a bad macaron.
• I loved this infographic from My City Way charting the most (and least) expensive neighbourhoods in New York to dine in.
• Interesting piece on the end of “last meal” requests at a Texas penitentiary.
• Mack and I haven’t been eating much at home lately – not that we’re complaining! Friday night, we headed to Lux to help them celebrate their sixth anniversary. We were treated to truffled popcorn and delectable bone marrow sprinkled with some finishing hickory salt. And that was just the appetizer! For our entrees, Mack and I shared several appetizers. I really enjoyed the buttermilk calamari, crisp and light, while the winner for Mack was the lobster poutine. Billed as a side, it really could have been a main on its own. It was definitely a creative and well-made dish though, with bacon hollandaise and truffle sour cream in place of cheese, and fries that remained crispy throughout consumption. Happy birthday, Lux!

Bone marrow with arugula salad and crostinis

Kobe beef sliders and lobster poutine

• You may have heard on the news or read online that Kevin Fox, long-time downtown resident, City Market employee and Rory’s loving father, has been reported missing. If you have any information about him, please call the police at 780-423-4567.

Kevin Fox (photo courtesy of the City Market)

When I think about what kind of sissy I am when it usually comes to shows that involve gore or suspense, I’m not sure how I’ve become such a fan of The Walking Dead. But it happened, so I’m happy it’s back! We’ll see how the show evolves now that series creator Frank Darabont is no longer involved, but if the momentum from yesterday’s episode continues, it will be a good year! On to this week’s food notes:

• The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is on this weekend, October 21-22, 2011. There are a few chances for you to win admission tickets – from me, and from Maki.
• The Queen of Tarts only has half of its seats for Saturday’s first pop-up dinner still available. Linda says the five-course menu will be gluten-free to boot! Call 780-421-4410 for reservations.
• It’s great to see more street food vendors getting the opportunity to transition into brick and mortar shops – Filistix is now open in the Central Academic Building (CAB) on campus from Monday-Fridays, 9am-4pm. Find them in the lower level food court. Congrats, guys!
• The Journal had an interesting article about some of the issues local Big City Cupcakes franchises have had dealing with the company.
• The Journal also started a great series that will focus on local coffee hubs – last week, it profiled Transcend.
• It’s all about the Enjoy Centre: Liane wrote about some of the great breads coming out of Prairie Baker, and Twyla re-visited the Centre recently. I’ll have to get out there myself some time soon!
• Liv profiled Kathryn Joel’s Get Cooking school in Vue Weekly last week.
• I love travelling vicariously through blogs – Phil visited San Francisco’s Off the Grid about a year after Mack and I did. It’s amazing how much the event has grown in that time!
• Sam Sifton is done, and goes out with a bang – he names Per Se the best restaurant in New York: “It represents the ideal of an American high-culture luxury restaurant.”
• Great piece from the NYT on how cookbooks are continuing to evolve.
• Rumour has it: Starbucks has its sight set on heading into the juice bar business.
• Ramen is slowly taking over Edmonton: Meguro Ramen is moving into Padmanadi’s former space on 97 Street.

Meguro Ramen

• When I saw containers of Ching’s Secret Schezwan Bhel on the shelves at Superstore, I couldn’t help but pick one up (they were 33cents!). I was morbidly curious with what kind of “shake and eat” snack it would be. Turns out – not one that is remotely edible. The goopy-sweet sauce over the crackling-like chips were far from anything I’d want to eat. Have you tried this?

Ching’s Secret

Want to win two free tickets for anywhere WestJet flies? Then head to Mack’s blog and answer one simple question: what was your most memorable volunteer experience in Edmonton? On to this week’s food notes:

• Noorish held their grand opening on October 8, 2011. Did anyone attend?
• Liane posted about a series of dinners the Queen of Tarts will be hosting. Starting on October 22, guest chefs will be cooking up $45 five-course prix fixe dinners in order to ease the cafe into dinner service.
• Jacek chocolate is back! After taking a break to have her first child, Jacqueline Jacek debuted her new collection of couture chocolate last week. Check out the Ruby & Gold Collection here.
• Three Edmonton restaurants will apparently be featured on an upcoming episode of a new Food Network show called You Gotta Eat Here: Highlands Kitchen, Tres Carnales and The Sugar Bowl. Looking forward to seeing the local eateries highlighted!
• On a related note, Eat St. was just in Calgary to film three of their trucks: Perogy Boyz, Fries and Dolls and the Alley Burger truck. Is it time to launch a campaign to bring the show to Edmonton?
• While at Southgate for the Crate & Barrel opening on Wednesday, I spotted a New Asian Village Express in the food court. It’s great to see a local restaurant chain “infiltrating” a food court!

New Asian Village Express

• Mack, my parents and I joined over a hundred other guests at The Lingnan on Tuesday to preview The Quon Dynasty, the new reality series featuring the restaurant family. It’s much more fast-paced than the previous Family Restaurant, and as a result, is more entertaining and funnier to boot. Watch the first episode on CityTV on October 16 at 8pm.

With Kinman, Amy and Marty Quon

• I attended the Metropolis press conference on Thursday to find out more about the new winter festival, which debuts on Churchill Square on December 31, 2011. It’ll be interesting to see what the structures look like in person, but I do hope it lives up to the expectations surrounding the event. Among the six pavilions will be a Polar Brewhouse, which will be run by the Canadian Brew House, and a Taste of Winter pavilion, which will feature up to twelve restaurants. Given it is a new event, I’ll be open to seeing how the Taste portion will be run, but I’m not sure it’ll be much better than a typical Taste of Edmonton year.

Brewhouse and Taste pavilion mock-ups

• I hope you had a good Thanksgiving! My family gathered around a lovely meal cooked by my Mum – in addition to turkey and sides, she also made spring rolls wrapped with caul fat (from Irvings). Although they weren’t as crispy as she would have liked, they were still pretty good!

Thanksgiving dinner

• I used some of the leftover three-cheese mac and cheese that I had made for dinner to make Mack a sandwich the next day, inspired by something we had seen on Food Network. Though it was tasty enough, we both figured it probably would have been better (read: cheesier) if the macaroni had gone straight from the oven and into the sandwich.

Mac and cheese sandwich

• It’s hard not to be thankful when our weather has been so gorgeous!

Footbridge in the fall

Have a good week everyone!

At the Edmonton International Film Festival’s 24/ONE screening last year, I voted for the film that made me laugh out loud the most. I ended up using the same measure this past Friday at this year’s 24/ONE. 6 Hours by Fourth Wall Productions got my vote (I couldn’t . It seemed others in the audience enjoyed it just as much, and they took home the coveted Best Picture prize, which is determined by the audience. It was a good time – check it out next year if you get the chance! On to this week’s food notes:

• Congrats to Transcend baristas Josh Hockin and Ben Put who took home both first and second place at the Canadian Barista Championships today!
• Liv wrote about Engrained, a new eatery on the U of A Campus in the Edmonton Clinic North building.
• Chris reviewed The Burger Joint on the south side.
• I wasn’t able to make it out to the Fall Sturgeon County Bounty at the Prairie Adventure Gardens this weekend, but Andrea was! Live vicariously through her delicious pictures here.
• Marilyn wrote about a lovely potluck dinner she had with fellow gardeners of the Edmonton Organic Growers Guild.
• The Journal staff were up to their elbows in pie judging which pie would take home the prize in The Great Pie Project. Congrats to Ruth Reay and her strawberry rhubarb pie! Find her recipe and nine others here.
• Looking for a unique Christmas gift? Valerie has updated her schedule of 2012 Taste Tripping classes.
• Love this: a photographic retrospective of food trucks! (Maria, the chuckwagons are for you!)
• I heart Gail Simmons! Here’s an interview she did recently with the Huffington Post. I’ll have to try her fish sauce/risotto trick some time.
• Will this be a trend that moves to Edmonton soon? Catch down in Calgary now has their wine menu on iPads!
• We had another one of our epic potlucks at work. It probably is a good thing we don’t have them too often, or else afternoon naps would become a standard, too!

Too much food!

• While Mack’s Mom was in town on Saturday, we had lunch together at Famoso. It was my first time having the pizzetta/soup combo, and I loved the fire-roasted tomato bisque! The sharpness from that sprinkle of cheese really helped bring out the flavour.

Sweet BBQ chicken pizzetta and tomato bisque

• We also attended a lovely wedding on Saturday – congrats to the newlyweds Mag and Joey!

The cupcake tower mirrored the colours of the wedding

• Mack and I also finally visited the Fort Edmonton Footbridge this weekend. A coworker commented to me that she doesn’t normally deem bridges to be a destination, but this one, tucked in the Wolf Willow neighbourhood, should be. The view from the top, with the sound of the creek bubbling away, reminded us more of Banff (minus the mountains) than of Edmonton.

Fort Edmonton Footbridge

Wolf Willow Ravine

View from the top

I hope you have a good week!

Hope you enjoyed the lovely weekend we were treated to! And if not, do take time this week to take a walk through your neighbourhood to soak up the light reflected off of golden trees, and to marvel at the beauty of wind-swept leaves. On to this week’s food notes:

• Bubba’s back! My Dad, the fan/stalker of the popular BBQ trailer, chatted with Bubba last week at his new set up just south of the Superstore on Calgary Trail and 51st Avenue. He’s just getting the power sorted out, and is expecting to be open at the end of September. He has signed a six month lease.
• Skinny Legs & Cowgirls has moved: Chris passed along a sign he saw at a cafe at Pender Island, BC, while he was vacationing there. It looks like the chef has relocated to the picturesque island. I wish them well!
• I’m excited to hear that the new Epcor Tower will be housing a Wild Earth Cafe, but am so disappointed to hear that there is no street-level access. Fountains don’t cut it.
• Congrats to Amanda Babichuk of d’Lish, who was recently honoured with a University of Alberta Alumni Recognition Award.
• Liane reported that Ethiopian favourite Langano Skies has reopened.
• Did you know there is a “secret” menu at Starbucks?
• Grub Street asks: is a restaurant responsible for your food allergies?
• Some grocers are phasing out self-checkouts. Nooo!
• The Chew, ABC’s new food-lifestyle daytime talk show, debuted today. I didn’t watch it, but after reading running commentary on the episode, I may not need to: “The concept of trying to watch somebody cook while three or four other people stand around and talk over the person cooking makes it really hard to pay attention to anything. It’s like one of those joke-y late-night-talk-show cooking segments, except it isn’t funny and it lasts an entire hour.”
• Speaking of food television, the new season of Top Chef: Texas will debut on November 2, 2011. New this season – Tom Collichio will be hosting online competitions that “will pit two previously eliminated contestants against one another.” The final winner will get to return to the on-air finale. Interesting way to bring people to the website.
• I just spotted a “Proudly Local” sticker associated with some of the apples in the produce section of the Italian Centre the other day. Given they also have the Eat Local First markers throughout the store, perhaps some streamlining is in order of its supplementary signage?

Proudly local

• Mack and I were craving comfort food on Friday night, and so found ourselves at The Bothy. Their chicken and leek pie is easily one of our favourite things to eat in the city, but I’ve also never been disappointed by their soups. That night, their wild mushroom soup was just perfect – seasoned well, with just the right amount of truffle oil to enhance but not stifle the earthy mushrooms. Delicious!

Chicken and leek pie and wild mushroom soup

• Drift was set up in the evening for the first time on Thursday, serving up burgers and soup. We loved their twinkle lights and outdoor seating! Check their Twitter feed to find out when their next evening service will be!

Drift for dinner

• Speaking of Drift, we caught up with Kara and Nevin again on Saturday, at the opening of the new Creekwood community in south west Edmonton. And when we say southwest, we mean fifteen minutes away from EIA. It was a bit disheartening, driving past acres of farmland that in a few short years will become another tract of development. Our reason for visiting was wanting to check out the “food truck promenade” that Creekwood had so heavily promoted on Twitter, one of the many attractions for their grand opening. Food trucks in both Edmonton and Calgary, because of their mobility and popularity, are starting to be used as a draw for new developments – it’ll be interesting to see how this continues. Anyway, Drift, Wannawafel, Fat Franks and Uncle Milt’s were all on hand, with patrons receiving food tickets in exchange for monetary donations to the Edmonton Food Bank. All items were priced at 1 ticket, so with the suggested donation being just $1/ticket, food was a steal. Our favourite item that day was Drift’s poutine, with so much melted cheese it was almost criminal! The jerk chicken sandwich was also very good. Wannawafel’s Belgian waffle wasn’t crispy on the outside, unlike Eva Sweet’s consistent creations, but it was good to have finally tried their product.

Trucks in Creekwood

Drift’s poutine

Drift’s jerk chicken sandwich (loved the pineapple)

Wannawafel’s Belgian waffle

• I went to Kuhlmann’s for the first time last week with a coworker. It is a beautiful greenhouse, and even this late in the season, is bursting with colour.

Gorgeous mums!

Beautiful flowering kale

Sculpture garden

Produce selection

• On a walk through the river valley yesterday, Mack and I passed by Shaw’s bountiful garden. Look at their gorgeous tomatoes!

Grow, tomatoes, grow!

• We went as far as the grounds around the Muttart Conservatory, where we were pretty sure a squirrel was actively trying to deter us from invading its space – namely, its stockpile of apples.

Patience, young squirrel

• Don’t you just love Edmonton in the fall?

Enjoy your week!

Thanks to everyone who came out to What the Truck?! 2 on Friday! We thought the wind and overcast conditions might deter the crowds, but we should have known better than to doubt the hardy nature of Edmontonians! On to this week’s food notes:

• Sturgeon County is hosting another one of its taste events, called Sturgeon County Bounty, on October 1, 2011 at the Prairie Adventure Gardens. The menu is full of harvest favourites, like roasted pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie, and intriguing dishes like saskaturkey (turkey from Saskatchewan? Turkey stuffed with Saskatoons?). Mack and I attended the Bounty event back in July, and based on that experience, would definitely attend it again.
• The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is on October 21-22, 2011.
• Undercover Gourmet Catering is now open!
• Twyla’s review of Vivo was much less praise-worthy than the Journal’s.
• Phil wrote a great post about Drift Food Truck: “While Drift has mastered the art of the gourmet sandwich, it’s the teal beauty’s affable owners, Kara and Nevin, and their mastering of those little intangibles of business that make for ultra loyal, ultra valuable, repeat customers that really sets them apart.”
• Speaking of food trucks, Vue also had good piece on Nomad.
• The biggest news out of NY this week was the announcement that Sam Sifton is moving to a different position at the Times. Already, there are retrospectives on his two year tenure as the Dining Critic, and the speculation begins on who will be his replacement.
• As much as I love Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Food Network is taking the genre of “vicarious eating” a little too far – with The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and now, Sugar High and Heat Seekers, what happened to the cooking side of things?
• While at Superstore this weekend, I came across a “Buy BC” logo for the first time. It’s not new, but I hadn’t noticed it before. Anyone know if there is an Alberta equivalent?

Buy BC

• I stopped in at Transcend for lunch last week, and finally got to try their Latin American street food menu. The arepas ($7.50) were delicious, luscious pulled Irvings pork perfectly balanced with a fresh, slightly sour sauce. I’d probably need to order two plates for a full meal, however.

Arepas

• On Monday, I headed to watch Mack Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. It was a good excuse to eat from Bo Thai, the tiny trailer that has been parked at Churchill Square for a number of weeks. The green curry ($8) didn’t quite have the kick that I was hoping for, but the chicken was tender and on that chilly morning, it hit the spot.

Bo Thai

Green curry

And I know you’re all dying to see Mack in high heels (and yes, he rocked the walk too!)

Are you ready for What the Truck?! 2 this Friday? The menus are now up, so you can plan what to eat (or at least, how much to pace yourself that night). Hope to see you at 102 Street and Jasper Ave! On to this week’s food notes:

• Big City Sandwich, a forthcoming food truck, will be taking over the kitchen, pop-up style, at The Bend Lounge on September 18. RSVP to sample some of their fare early!
• Is it possible to dine out and help the Edmonton Food Bank at the same time? Yes – participating restaurants will be donating $10 for every $30 (up to a maximum of $60) spent during Yelp Eats, September 15-26, 2011.
• I just found out that Yellowhead Brewery is serving food! Well, sort of. The kitchen doesn’t have official hours because they haven’t had many people come through the doors when they have been open, but it’s a bit of a chicken-egg thing, isn’t it? They said they will be open this Saturday from 11:30-2 (ish), but with a menu like this, I really hope they choose to adopt more regular hours!
• Kerstin and her family will be travelling for a year, so Kerstin’s Chocolates will be run by Marianne Stover and Rachel Pereira in their absence.
• Lots of good stuff in the Journal last week: they reviewed Vivo, a new-ish Italian restaurant on the west end; featured Tangle Ridge Ranch in Taste Alberta; wrote a profile about the lovely ladies behind La Fourchette; and captured Chris’s love of offal.
• I like this approach by Slow Food chapters in the US – a challenge to make a good, clean and fair meal for $5, or, the average price of a fast food meal.
• It will be interesting to see the ramifications of this deal play out, but Zagat was bought by Google this week.
• I know Mack would love to be able to do this instead of actually cooking: consumers will be able to print out food in the future.
• Almost forgot to share these amazing pictures of the Tomatina festival, a massive tomato food fight held in  Spain every year.
• Speaking of tomatoes, ever wonder what sets apart true San Marzano tomatoes from the rest? Wonder no more.
• Spotted the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market poster, and thought it was worth sharing. Simple, but eye catching.

Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market

• After a screening at Garneau, Annie and I stopped at The Dessert House (8412 109 Street, 780-439-7789) for a drink. It was standing room only inside! Their menu was an encyclopaedia of hot and cold drinks and desserts. I ended up with the strawberry bubble tea (with passionfruit pop bobas), and enjoyed it well enough.

Strawberry and papaya bubble teas

• Mack and I took advantage of summer’s resurgence over the weekend to satisfy a poutine craving. The walk back home was very much needed after sharing the large.

Quebecois poutine from La Poutine

• Unrelated to food, but so much fun I thought I’d share: to show solidarity with our Agency’s programs that address Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), we joined them in a flash mob organized to promote awareness of FASD Day on September 9. The dance itself (done to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”) was a bit of a gong show, but we had fun doing it, and people stopped in their tracks, so mission accomplished! Thanks to Mack for coming and taking pictures!

FASD Flash mob at Kingsway Mall

The long weekend was lovely, wasn’t it? Mack and I stole away to Calgary for a few days, which was a nice break, but once we got back, we also managed to catch up on some sleep! Hope you had an enjoyable few days as well. On to this week’s food notes:

• Fans of Family Restaurant, mark your calendars: The Quon Dynasty, the new television series about the family behind The Lingnan, debuts on CityTV on October 16 at 8pm.
• Congrats to Eva Sweet, who will be opening up their first non-mobile location at the University of Alberta campus on September 6. Find them in the CAB Building.
• I wasn’t able to grab a picture of it, but Cafe Beirut will be opening a restaurant downtown on Jasper Avenue and 112 Street called Taste of Lebanon.
• There’s a new Italian restaurant on the west end called Vivo.
• Michelle wrote a great piece about Chai Pani – definitely worth a read.
• Did you know Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton now sells their own fresh-pressed apple cider (as well as sour cherry & amaretto saucy syrup, spiced saskatoon jam and cider jelly)? Find them at the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market.
• Now this is a labour of love: ajvar (red pepper spread) made from scratch.
• Last week, I had a craving for pho and decided to try Xu Hue (in the space previously occupied by Pho Anh Dao). It was recommended by someone who said that it was a favourite of the Vietnamese community. Service was fast, and the pho was good (the filet could have been a touch more tender), but what struck me most was how much of a family-friendly restaurant it was. The owner’s daughters were playing at the front, watching the TV tuned to the Family Channel. And a picky young boy, dining with his mother was presented with a bowl of plain rice noodles to eat (or play with). I still have a soft spot for Pho Tau Bay, but I wouldn’t hesitate to come back.

Medium rare beef fillet noodle soup (large $7.65)

• While in Calgary, we stopped by Good Earth for an iced coffee (don’t – it tasted like coffee-flavoured water). While there though, we found a smiling picture of Brad Smoliak on the counter – it looks like he has developed their new food menu. I’m sure it will be better than the iced coffee.

Good Earth

• Mack and I had missed the last food truck meet-up in Victoria Park because we were attending Heritage Days, so we were happy to get down there this afternoon. It was a brisk walk from Grandin Station, but given the weather, not a chore at all. The crowds weren’t large, but those who were taking in the trucks were making the most of it! We can only hope mini gatherings like this will be more common in Edmonton’s mobile cuisine future.

Molly’s Eats, Drift and Carnival Cravings offer the perfect picnic food!

Beautiful day

We also took the scenic route (on our way to Southgate) – across the pedestrian bridge…

…and through the trees!

Where has the summer gone? August just accelerated by, to the point where I’ve literally been a week behind (note to self: triple check e-mails prior to sending them to everyone in your organization). Hope the season’s been good to you too! On to this week’s food notes:

• Molly’s Eats and Drift will be serving up good eats over the long weekend at Victoria Park on Monday, September 5. Check their Twitter status for more information!
• If you’re not festival’d out yet, check out the Ukrainian Festival happening on September 10, from 11am-7pm at 6103 172 Street. There will be fresh bread baked on-site, and delicious homemade Ukrainian food, in addition to live entertainment and children’s activities. Admission is $2/person or $5/family.
• I hope all goes well with Bamir and Patricia (of Eva Sweet)’s nephews. If you haven’t heard, their three teenage nephews now face removal from Canada.
• Genius: Liv and Marlow Moo have found possibly the best way to sample dessert – eat your way around downtown!
• Vue Weekly wrote a great piece about the gentrification of Whyte Avenue this week – should BRZs be restrictive about the types of businesses that go into the area?
• Courtenay wrote about their local butcher, Real Deal Meats.
• Will we ever reach a point where there are too many farmers’ markets?
• What are we supposed to do now? Gilt Taste says that wine and cheese pairings aren’t meant to be.
• Can you trust online reviews?
• I saw this and couldn’t help but think of Mack – Eater presents New York Times’ food critic Sam Sifton’s starred reviews in charts and graphs.
• Did you hear about the smackdown that took place this week between Paula Deen and Anthony Bourdain? The follow-up from Frank Bruni is worth a read: “When Deen fries a chicken, many of us balk. When the Manhattan chefs David Chang or Andrew Carmellini do, we grovel for reservations and swoon over the homey exhilaration of it all.” Well said, Bruni.
• This absolutely took my breath away: New York just had their first taste of Diner en Blanc (“dinner in white”), a tradition of private dinners that began in Paris. With a harbour front setting, lanterns, and all diners dressed in white, it looked pretty amazing. Diner en Blanc also takes place in Montreal and Quebec City – could we do it here, too?
• It’s official! Remedy is taking over the downtown storefront previously held by Health Fare (10279 Jasper Avenue).

Remedy

• This is a week old, but there was quite a bit of outrage when residents found that the downtown Sobeys had covered up all of their windows, blocking eyes on the street and into the store. We hope this decision will be reversed (there is a meeting this week to discuss it).

Sobeys

• I met up with Annie for dinner at Violino last week. They were featuring pizzas cooked in an outdoor oven, so both Annie and I decided to try them. It was a bit awkward, given the pizza dough had to travel from the kitchen through the dining room to reach the oven (and back to the kitchen to be dressed), but I suppose then we knew it was fresh! Annie’s pizza, with proscuitto, artichoke hearts, arugula and goat cheese was the better of the two – more moist with a crust that didn’t chip a tooth. Dessert was better, a silky panna cotta made with buttermilk. It was more tart than either of us were used to, but balanced out in the end with a blueberry sauce and a warm apricot pastry on the side.

Margherita pizza

San Danielle pizza

Panna cotta